Arun Joseph

Preparatory Research Fellow at Nuffield Department of Clinical NeuroSciences

Arun is a research fellow in Oxford but his journey began at GCU. He told us about his degree and future plans.

What are your highlights from GCU?

The course at GCU helped to attain and develop research skills through specific modules in Neurorehabilitation, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Applied Biomechanics and Research Methods leading to a dissertation on a topic of my interest.

The tutors in each module were encouraging and tailored teaching styles to accommodate differences in culture and educational background.

I also won an Ede and Ravenscroft award for outstanding student achievement for promoting international links at the end of my degree.

How has your career progressed since graduation? Did your qualification aid you?

The job market was quite tough to enter at that time, however having an International Master’s from a reputed institution puts you well in front of the crowd. I moved from India to Glasgow to pursue my Master’s degree with the view of progressing my physiotherapy career in to research and academia.

I secured a static respiratory and cardiac rehabilitation physiotherapist post within NHS and was also involved in teaching BSc and MSc Students at the University of East Anglia in clinical placements.

I moved to Oxford a year ago with the view of expanding my career in research and consolidating my respiratory skills in specialist ICUs. I recently won a preparatory research fellowship award from the Oxford NIHR/BRC and I hold an honorary contract with the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences linked with the University of Oxford. My research proposal for the award was an extension of the MSc dissertation at GCU.

Currently, I am applying for a Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship to pursue a PhD within the same department.

What advice would you give to current students and new graduates?

I consider myself really fortunate to combine my clinical and research career through the skills that I attained at GCU so make the best use of the resources whilst you are there.